COSTA MESA — In the days and weeks after Joey Bosa seriously injured his foot, following an ill-fated return in early September, the Chargers were desperate for answers to how they might replace one of the most feared pass rushers in football.

Their defense would ultimately overcome that once-glaring question, riding a deep defensive line rotation and a sack-happy rookie safety to six straight wins and a more-than-respectable pass rush. Now, ten weeks after his injury, Bosa’s long-awaited return to game action is on the horizon, and with him, a surging Chargers defense could take a serious leap in the weeks to come.

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For the first time since early September, Bosa was a limited participant in practice Wednesday. In the portion of practice open to media, the Pro Bowl defensive end looked fresh taking part in individual defensive line work. He fired out of a three-point stance with his usual burst and participated in drills where he cut laterally – often the last step in recovery from a mid-foot injury.

When asked if Bosa could play this Sunday against the Broncos, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn left the door open for the Pro Bowl defensive end to “play some snaps”, if all goes well.

“We have to be careful putting him back in,” Lynn said. “We have to bring him back in slowly.”

It’s been a frustratingly slow recovery already for Bosa, who has yet to play a game this season due to what’s believed to be a Lisfranc injury. In late September, Bosa admitted he returned before he was ready, re-aggravating what was once described as a bone bruise in his foot. After narrowly avoiding surgery, which would’ve ended his season, Bosa has been clear that he’ll only return when his foot is completely healthy.

Two weeks ago, when Bosa last spoke with the media, the defensive end said that he’s “not going to push it a day early,” but that once he returned to practice, he’d be ready to go.

“The second my foot is ready to practice on a Wednesday,” Bosa said then, “I will play that week.”

When Bosa will actually return – and what his immediate role might be when he does – remains to be seen. But regardless of whether it’s this week against the Broncos or next week against the Cardinals, his addition up front is a massive boon for a Chargers defense that’s already racked up 18 sacks over their past five without the services of their Pro Bowl pass rusher.

At the onset of Bosa’s absence, the Chargers struggled mightily to replace his production. But adjustments from defensive coordinator Gus Bradley after a tough first month have helped quietly transform the Chargers defense into one of the league’s best.

After allowing 30 points per game over that first month, the Chargers haven’t allowed any of their last five opponents to exceed 20. The changes have been noticeable; Melvin Ingram has re-established himself as a terrorizing pass rusher in Bosa’s absence, and with more pressure up front, the secondary has regained its confidence on the back end. It’s no coincidence then that the Chargers have won each of those last five, with a point differential of plus-63.

Now, a surging defense welcomes back its most dangerous weapon in Joey Bosa, either this week or next. And with the stretch run of the season still remaining, it couldn’t come at a better time for a team very much in thick of AFC contention.

NOTES

Tight end Antonio Gates missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. Gates has just four catches over the past four weeks. … As for another injured Chargers tight end, Lynn said that he “doesn’t want to count on Hunter Henry coming back this season.” Still, he didn’t rule out Henry being lifted from injured reserve. … Cornerback Trevor Williams remains out with a knee injury, after missing last Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Williams lost his starting job to second-year corner Michael Davis two weeks ago.

Ryan Kartje is a sports features reporter, with a special focus on the NFL and college sports. He has worked for the Orange County Register since 2012, when he was hired as UCLA beat writer. His enterprise work on the rise and fall of the daily fantasy sports industry (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/industry-689093-fantasy-daily.html) was honored in 2015 with an Associated Press Sports Editors’ enterprise award in the highest circulation category. His writing has also been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ryan worked for the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times and Fox Sports Wisconsin, before moving out west to live by the beach and eat copious amounts of burritos.

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